The Case for a Cohort Model in New Hire Orientation
The first days and weeks with a company have a long term impact on an employee’s success at a company. The experience can help them feel welcomed and informed or lost and like another cog in the wheel. With the growing favor for remote work, it can take a little more effort to help new hires feel like they are an important part of the organization. However, whether you are in-person or virtual, by implementing a cohort model in new hire orientation, companies can bridge the distance and foster a sense of belonging.
Ideally, in a cohort model, a group of new hires would start on the same day, receive the same information, and move through the same activities. I’ve worked at a few companies where a loose interpretation of the cohort model was implemented – new hires started within two weeks of one another and moved through most of the learning experiences together. I’ve worked at other companies where orientation consisted of the aforementioned learning experiences, but was only offered once a quarter or on an as-needed basis, meaning some people had worked at the company for nearly three months and likely didn’t need the information. At yet other companies, I’ve been told to read a handbook as the extent of the orientation process.
I’ve worked at only one company where the true cohort model was followed, and this company had the most collaborative and cohesive culture that I’ve ever been a part of. It would be disingenuous to say that orientation was the sole factor in creating this culture, but it was a key element in creating shared language, expectations, and cross-functional understanding that lasted throughout a person’s career with the organization.
If you’re looking for your orientation program to have a bigger impact, here are ways a cohort model can help:
Creates lasting relationships: A high-quality orientation program has many opportunities for new hires to get to know one another, learn new things together, and work toward a common goal, all three of which can lead to relationships that last long after orientation. One way I’ve encouraged folks to keep in touch is by creating a dedicated channel on Slack. In some cohorts the conversations were still robust a year later. (If you’re looking for a concrete business case on why work relationships are important, read this article from HBR on employee satisfaction.)
Promotes cross-functional understanding: An orientation program may be one of the only early opportunities for people from certain departments to overlap in a meaningful way, especially when working for a remote-first company where interactions are less likely to happen organically. The cohort model shows everyone how their jobs are related and may even lead to future collaboration. For example, in my role as learning designer, I didn’t have much exposure to the data science team, but when I needed them I started with a connection from my cohort, which made the process a lot easier, especially for an introvert like me!
Builds a common and cohesive culture: The orientation experience is a way to build a common language and, ultimately, promote the culture you’re looking to build at the company. A cohort model inherently demonstrates that you care about collaboration and relationship building, but you can also use your content to explore other topics that reflect the company values. It’s also a way to hear how new hires interpret the values and culture, which may help you refine the training and add to the culture.
Here are some logistics you might need to think about before implementation:
Buy-in: To create a sustainable cohort model, buy-in is required by all levels of the company, from recruiting to the exec level. You’ll need to make sure that managers and recruiters understand when cohorts are set to start and plan start dates accordingly. Be careful of “just this once” exceptions as they can negatively impact your programmatic goals.
Scheduling: A cohort model requires a higher-level of coordination, especially from the orientation program manager, to adequately schedule, plan, and be available for the new hire cohort.
Content: Deliver content that requires a cohort, rather than content which can be delivered just as effectively to individuals. I like to sprinkle in a group goal, some social opportunities, and lots of time for breakouts and interaction.
If you have tips to share or questions and logistics that you need help thinking through, please reach out!
